Have you heard of a great instrumental tune yet? Don’t weep; it’s not too late to find out what Willdabeast has in store for you. Willdabeast is a Bellingham native based in the United States whose songs cause goosebumps with their richness and variety. One of his tracks that has piqued my interest is “Time Theft,” an instrumental single he published on March 3rd of this year that has over 21k Spotify listens, which I believe is a significant triumph for this budding performer. I was compelled to speak with Willdabeast after listening to “Time Theft” and being amazed by the track’s beauty and Willdabeast’s talent. So I connected with Willdabeast from the other side of the planet and conducted an online interview that delves into his personality as well as the music itself. Keep your legs clasped and take in this lovely moment I’ve had with him.
SONGWEB: Can you tell us a little bit about the inspiration behind your latest project?
WILLDABEAST: The inspiration behind our latest album was to create an album based on something personal to us, yet also universal to others on many levels. The internal conflicts we face, the motivations or lack thereof, and how we can face defeat in our minds even before we begin. The point is, we all find ways to survive we must. We are all survivors. Every day we take another step, or a leap, depending on our ability to navigate the challenges of our timeline. These commonalities provide a thread woven deep throughout each of our lives we must consistently choose to use as tools on our path, no matter the way we use these lessons to become wiser, stronger, and better people. This album is an ode to our struggles, our journey, and our growth over the last 9 months where we both faced an incredible amount of challenge, pain, joy, and euphoria.
SONGWEB: How do you approach the creative process when creating new works of art?
WILLDABEAST: It’s always a unique approach I’d say. If we had a template or recipe, we’d be rich men. Most of these tunes were created during the final stages of our ‘last studio’ setup. The same setup we’ve essentially had for the past 5 years. After that, we had to tear everything down because of a new desk, computer, etc. It was a big deal.
Now, we’re not huge template fans as mentioned, but we do start most songs with a simple drum pattern and go from there. Will says, ‘I’ll sit in my studio, which is just a dope little soundproofed office in a corner of my home, I dim the lights down and set the mood and start making a beat or two at different tempos and stuff to see what sticks. I’ll add a few other elements like keys, samples, vocals, or bass and if something sounds super good like.. super good I will stick with it and build from there. Not to sound like a broken record, but since there is no recipe for success (that I’ve found at least!) this part of the process can always go one of two ways. You’re either on route to creating your next favorite track, or you may not end up releasing this particular work in progress. Either way we do our best to continue to build our next electronic cinematic adventure and do our best to add FX and sound design elements.
SONGWEB: Can you share with us a particularly memorable moment during the making of this project?
WILLDABEAST: Yes, a memorable moment during this project was both of us got married. I also found out that I was having a child and on the day the album came out (well three days before) my child was born. It was a very special week for us. A big year.
This album was signed to a record label in the Bay Area, Muti Music, which has been well renowned for over 20+ years in the electronic industry for its incredible releases. It’s an absolute honor and joy to join their team and that’s another big moment for this record as well to have this one signed on with them and have their support. We have looked up to their vision and the artists on their roster for quite some time.
SONGWEB: What message or emotion do you hope to convey through your art?
WILLDABEAST: The message and emotion we wish to convey can vary, I would say if you want to zoom out and generalize we would say these mid-tempo tunes could be characterized as global bass music with an experimental and funky twist. We try to create music with rhythmic energy. Part of our music is also inspired by movement whether inside or out, so it has to contain elements of motivation and dynamics. Our music also has lots of orchestral elements where you can sense rich, soaring, thrilling warm even complex feelings. The use of live brass instruments over our electronic beats creates this strange sense of push and pull, it’s hard to contain this energy and so we’re often just riding that wave, experiencing the emotion right alongside you.
SONGWEB: Can you describe how you incorporate your personal experiences into your work?
WILLDABEAST: Will says, that music is and always will be about the personal experience for us. It is purely a necessity. A cathartic experience. I am truly glad we can express it enough sometimes that we can share some of it with you. I can’t stop it. I can’t stop the creative process. But that’s all it is. Built up the pain, unresolved trauma, harbored emotions, unsaid feelings, and so on. How do you get it out? How do I get it out without the right words? Well, sometimes, a lot of the time… it’s on the tracks.
SONGWEB: How does your latest project differ from previous works you’ve created?
WILLDABEAST: Well, hopefully, this album differs from the last because there has been progression right? To us that is the point of creating and releasing music. Without progression, there is no point. Why keep creating, if you’re just recreating the same thing? We don’t want to hear that. We don’t want to play that.
But yeah, I don’t think anyone wants to hear that unless the artist is for example, splitting up a longer album over several releases or writing several tracks over the same period. So for us, it’s got to be something different either stylistically, or maybe we tried something different with our playing, recording, or in their synthetic, heck maybe it just sounds better from a mixing technique or songwriting was way more dialed. Either way, we are trying our best to be better. So hopefully, this is a step above the last and the one before that!
SONGWEB: Lastly, what are your plans for your artistic journey and where do you hope to take your work in the future?
WILLDABEAST: We both have new families and new marriages and exciting careers but also recognize the amazing opportunities we have with our music at the same time. We plan to continue to record and release new music as much as possible. We have some exciting new music about to come out and some exciting songs and collaborations in the works as well. We also plan to continue to perform as often as possible whenever and wherever we can. Keep an eye out for Willdabeast on the rise coming near the festival/city near you!
Overall, Willdabeast’s “Time Theft” is quite beautifully composed. The instrumentation is great while being basic and delivered with just the right amount of oomph to seamlessly mix with the beats. The horns and basslines dominate the instrumental, while the other parts, such as the siren and trance, are a wonderful compliment, making the beat diverse, deep, progressive, and self-contained. Willdabeast has nailed everything, from the musical direction to the execution, and has undeniably had a positive influence on me, leaving me wanting more which I’m sure you will after hearing this.
Listen to “Time Theft” by Willdabeast on Spotify on SoundCloud and let us know your thoughts.
You can follow WILLDABEAST here for more information.
